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4.56 AVERAGE
4.56 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Oof. This book is pure heartbreak. A book about a Palestinian refugee by a Palestinian refugee is bound to be sad, but this book is nothing but. It begins with in 1948, when Amal's family is forced off their homeland by the newly formed Israeli state. In the violent tumult, Amal's brother is taken by an Israeli soldier whose wife can't conceive because of her torture/rape by Nazi soldiers in Poland. Longing to give his wife a child, Moshe steals Ismael, who is just a baby at the time. Dalia, his mother, is never the same.
So when she gives birth to Amal, she remains cold and distant. Amal, despite her circumstances, has a fairly normal childhood in the refugee camp Jenin. Her father reads to her every morning before heading off to work, and they bond over stories. Then Amal's childhood is cut short as once again Israeli soldiers invade Jenin, bombing the camp to smithereens. Amal and what remains of her family must deal with the constant threat of war. After her mother dies, Amal goes to boarding school, then to America, where she eventually becomes a citizen, but also a shell of who she once was.
After she graduates college, she visits her oldest brother in Lebanon, meets and marries Majiid, and once again must leave as Israeli soldiers attack Lebanon. She once again loses everyone she loves, and returns to America a single mother. Like her mother before her, she becomes cold and distant to her daughter. Eventually, her long lost brother, Ismael, now David, finds her and visits her in America. They form a bond, which ultimately results in Amal also warming to her daughter, Sara. They return to Palestine, and Amal takes her daughter on a trip to the past. Amal finds her old friends, neighbors, and relatives who are still alive, many of them still living in Jenin. But then Israeli soldiers once again attack Jenin, bombing it to smithereens.
I won't spoil the ending. It's sad. It's relentless. The book provides a very clear picture of what it's like to be a Palestinian refugee. Israel and Palestine have been at war for a long time. This book captures the endless violence, the displacement, the grief.
I do feel like I learned quite a bit about the conflict. Prior to reading it, I knew very little about what was going on, or the original motivations. I still want to learn more because this book begins in 1948 and ends in 2002, so there's a lot not covered. Additionally, Amal's story is just one small part of the larger story. I'd like to read something more comprehensive (maybe nonfiction).
So when she gives birth to Amal, she remains cold and distant. Amal, despite her circumstances, has a fairly normal childhood in the refugee camp Jenin. Her father reads to her every morning before heading off to work, and they bond over stories. Then Amal's childhood is cut short as once again Israeli soldiers invade Jenin, bombing the camp to smithereens. Amal and what remains of her family must deal with the constant threat of war. After her mother dies, Amal goes to boarding school, then to America, where she eventually becomes a citizen, but also a shell of who she once was.
After she graduates college, she visits her oldest brother in Lebanon, meets and marries Majiid, and once again must leave as Israeli soldiers attack Lebanon. She once again loses everyone she loves, and returns to America a single mother. Like her mother before her, she becomes cold and distant to her daughter. Eventually, her long lost brother, Ismael, now David, finds her and visits her in America. They form a bond, which ultimately results in Amal also warming to her daughter, Sara. They return to Palestine, and Amal takes her daughter on a trip to the past. Amal finds her old friends, neighbors, and relatives who are still alive, many of them still living in Jenin. But then Israeli soldiers once again attack Jenin, bombing it to smithereens.
I won't spoil the ending. It's sad. It's relentless. The book provides a very clear picture of what it's like to be a Palestinian refugee. Israel and Palestine have been at war for a long time. This book captures the endless violence, the displacement, the grief.
I do feel like I learned quite a bit about the conflict. Prior to reading it, I knew very little about what was going on, or the original motivations. I still want to learn more because this book begins in 1948 and ends in 2002, so there's a lot not covered. Additionally, Amal's story is just one small part of the larger story. I'd like to read something more comprehensive (maybe nonfiction).
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
sad
medium-paced
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated